IL CPA Rules
Illinois (IL) CPA Requirements & 120/150-Hour Credit Calculator
To earn a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) license through the Illinois Board of Examiners / IDFPR, candidates pass all four sections of the Uniform CPA Examination (Core FAR, AUD, REG plus one Discipline: BAR, ISC, or TCP), satisfy Illinois's education pathway (120 semester hours typical sitting baseline; 150 hours standard licensure or 120 hours + 2 years where enacted), and complete supervised accounting experience.
Illinois 120 / 150-Hour Credit-Gap & Tuition Savings Calculator
Meets ~24h accounting benchmark
+1 yr verified CPA experience
10 CLEP exams ($930) vs. $28,500 MAcc
Open-Sit CLEP / DSST 3-Credit General & Business Bridge Courses
Board Verification Tip: Accepted at 2,900+ accredited colleges toward general/business hours; always confirm with the Illinois Board of Examiners / IDFPR whether CLEP credits must appear on a regionally accredited college transcript and avoid duplicating existing courses.
Illinois (IL) CPA Licensure Framework
150 semester hours of college credit (typically a bachelor’s degree plus ~30 additional hours), including a set number of accounting and business courses.
Illinois has enacted or advanced 2025–2026 statutory CPA licensure pathway reform (pairing a 120-semester-hour bachelor's degree + accounting concentration + 2 years of supervised experience alongside the traditional 150-hour + 1-year pathway). Confirm your exact effective cohort date with the Illinois Board of Examiners / IDFPR.
Pass all four sections of the Uniform CPA Exam — three Core sections (AUD, FAR, REG) plus one Discipline (BAR, ISC, or TCP). Many states let you sit at 120 hours; licensure requires 150. Passing score on each section is 75 on a 0–99 scaled score.
Typically about one year (roughly 1,800–2,000 hours) of relevant accounting experience verified by a licensed CPA. Exact hours vary by state (California, for example, requires 1,200 hours). (2 years under enacted 120-hour alternative pathways).
Verify with the Illinois Board of Examiners / IDFPR whether the AICPA Comprehensive Ethics Exam or a state-specific board ethics course is required prior to initial CPA certificate issuance.
View Illinois CPA CPE Renewal Cycle Tracker →